Bleacher Report · Nov 28, 2019
Babe Ruth's 500th-HR Bat Could Sell for Record $1.265M+ at Auction
The bat used by Babe Ruth to hit career home run No. 500 could soon make more history.
On Aug. 11, 1929, the Sultan of Swat became the first player to hit 500 home runs as he took Cleveland pitcher Willis Hudlin deep over the right field wall at League Park in Cleveland. According to the Plain Dealer's Gordon Cobbledick (h/t SABR's Chad Osborne), Ruth predicted he would hit the milestone home run that day and asked that he get the ball back as a keepsake item.
Per USA Today's Scott Boeck, Ruth held on to the bat as well before giving it to a friend in the 1940s. It has since been stored in a closet.
Now, it's up for grabs.